Tori Amos – American Doll Posse
Sony (5/1/07)
Acoustic Pop / Rock
Tori Amos is known for being controversial, with poetic lyrics and striking piano work with her vulnerable yet cutting vocals, on the outskirts of mainstream radio. She’s that and so much more. Tori Amos is a founding member of and has been one of the main spokeswoman for The Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN), the nation’s largest anti-sexual assault organization.
This new 23-track record, American Doll Posse, is being released on May 1, and is Tori’s ninth studio release. It’s incredible, with its many protagonist characters embodied in the work, exploring different female characters and roles of women in society throughout history, and of course, it wouldn’t be a Tori Amos record without touching on religion. The question is, did Tori outdo herself by packing one album with too much material?
“Yo George” is one of the most eloquent songs against President Bush in the industry today and speaks on current direction of the country: “Is this just the madness of King George / Yo George / Well you have the whole nation on all fours.”
“Big Wheel” is a flirtation with pop-country and is about possession, abuse and the pain of a bad relationship, with a little bit of trademark Christian symbolism thrown in. “Bouncing Off Clouds” has a great momentum to it, as I don’t remember any past Tori Amos records that sound as mainstream as this one.
“Teenage Hustling” has an enjoyable, intense rock sound that is completely believable with Tori’s voice. I would have cut “Digital Ghost” off of the record and saved it as a bonus for an acoustic record, because it doesn’t add anything to the theme of the album. Ditto with “Secret Spell”.
“You Can Bring Your Dog” flirts with rock again, almost sounding like a borrowed “Crazy on You” by the legendary Heart. Tori finds an enjoyable tone, which is often lost on people who are passive Tori fans expecting her to be intense in every note of every song.
“Mr. Bad Man” reminds me of Tori’s past records, with a frolic of her voice combined with piano as the main attraction. I do sometimes find her style to be distracting, when she’s talking about bad people or bad situations. “Fat Slut” is short and powerful and well done. It needed to be said: “Fat slut you said / What luck I said / To be stuck in your, your happy family / Well don’t you dare I said / Judge me you go / And stick it in somewhere.”
“Girl Disappearing” is the best of Tori’s trademark sound with the most powerful look at the transformation of feminism and going against trends set by society: “Left whips and chains / Behind I’m boycotting trends / It’s my new look this season.” A close second is the deceptively sweeping “Father’s Son” with a Madonna feel, and a extremely powerful story to tell, of the seed of hate being passed down in someone’s family.
Tori gives us some spiritual commentary with “Devils and Gods” and is an appropriate pre-song to “Body and Soul”, which is sexy, with a, dare I say, gospel percussion and “sinning” rock sexy feel. I love the juxtaposition and I think this could make an incredible music video and club mix for American Doll Posse.
“Roosterspur Bridge” was a nice surprise, very reminiscence of Cyndi Lauper’s style. This song could end up another great acoustic track for a future DVD. “Beauty of Speed” reminded me of Coldplay and could end up being a gorgeous music video with Tori’s proven artistic ability through the music video medium.
“Almost Rosey” is perfect with it’s right balance of ironic truth, humor and commentary: “Just why do they say have a nice day, anyway? / We both know they wouldn’t mind / if I just curled up and died / Oh, let’s not give that one a try.”
“Smokey Joe” and “Dark Side of the Sun” both surprised me, and in a good way. The latter I hope will not get lost in all the tracks of this record, because it is one of the most powerful songs Tori has ever recorded. The artistry of Tori is always a lot to take in, and I would have made this album either 18 or 20 tracks instead or divide them up in parts to have it two albums in one year. This is to prevent good tracks like “Dark Side of the Sun” leaving less than memorable impressions because the experience went too long.
Regardless, still a incredibly powerful album and an amazing, well-thought out effort that deserves attention. Her candor, her poetic bravery and her exploration of things that are considered taboo to even thought about with a questionable slant and her flirtation with different sounds on this album, makes this a very strong effort by Tori Amos.
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